Tag: whole wheat white flour
Gingerbread Cake with Whipped Cream and Candied Ginger & Chocolate Ganache
Here are some dessert ideas for the holidays…
- 2½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup extra light olive oil
- ½ cup evaporated cane juice
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup molasses mixed with 1 cup hot water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and line two 9 inch round pans.
Combine the flour, baking soda, spices and the salt in a medium bowl. Whisk and keep aside.
Beat together the oil and sugar with an electric mixture for a minute. Add the egg and beat for 2 to 3 minutes. In 3 batches, alternately bean in flour mixture and molasses mixture on a low speed. Beat till smooth and pour batter into the two pans dividing equally. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
Take out and let cool.
Filling
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped
Beat the cream with an electric beater till stiff peaks are formed. Add the sugar and ginger and mix well.
Place the first layer of cake onto a cake stand and add the filling, smoothing it all over. Place the second layer and gently press down, cleaning up any filling spilling out of the cakes.
Topping
- 6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cups whipping cream
Heat the cream in a small saucepan on a medium heat. Once bubbles begin to form on the edges, turn the heat off and take the pan off the stove. Add the chocolate and stir until it melts. Let cool and pour the ganache over the cake covering the sides evenly.
Top the cake with candied ginger for decoration.
Brownie Bites with Peppermint Bark Icing
I have used the same recipe for the brownie bites as before. The difference is that I used extra light olive oil instead of butter (I wanted to make it healthier), and I have used a small cupcake container to make these delicious tiny bites for the holiday season.
Peppermint definitely comes to mind when I think of this time of year. One of the things I like to do when I am at the mall is to visit Williams Sonoma. They always have some kind of sample- especially this time of year. I love eating their peppermint bark- it is simply delicious. I have never bought it since it is quite expensive but I do eat lots of samples while I am at the store.
When Trader Joes opened up in Millburn, I was of course ecstatic. During the holiday season they have a variety of treats and chocolates.
While I was thinking about making these treats, I was envisioning icing with crushed peppermint sticks. So, when I went shopping at Trader Joes for my ingredients, and I didn’t find the sticks, I decided to buy the peppermint bark instead. It was much cheaper than the one I sample in Williams Sonoma.
I brought it home and tried it- well, it was delicious as well! I crushed it in a food processor and added it to the icing. These bite sized brownies are delicious and ideal to make for the holidays- enjoy!
- 2 cups evaporated cane juice
- 1 cup extra light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Line a small 24 cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, blend the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract well. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients mixing well in between. Pour the batter evenly into each small cupcake liner. Bake for 12 minutes if you like gooey brownies- a few minutes more if you like them more cake-like.
Peppermint Bark Icing
- ½ cup (4 oz) low fat cream cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- ½ cup crushed peppermint bark
In a mixer, add the cream cheese and begin beating until smooth. Sprinkle the powdered sugar and add the peppermint extract. Beat till the icing is smooth. Take out and add the peppermint bark. With a knife cover the top of each brownie bite.
